Let us pray. For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10 Free me, Lord, from my brothers and sisters in Christ who are more focused on their own works than on their faith. Free me from the legalistic Christ followers who are bent on justifying themselves through the law. Thank you, Jesus, that by your sacrifice, I am saved by faith and not by my works. Thank you that I can walk in complete freedom and enjoy my walk with you, free from the opinions of others. Continue to allow the fruits of the Spirit to be evident in my life. I decree and declare that in Christ Jesus, I am free and unchained. I decree and declare that I serve you, Lord, by devotion and not obligation. As I work out my faith in love, I will walk in freedom and in step with the Spirit. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is always freedom. There is no bondage in Christ. So, Lord, I thank you that I don't have to earn my way into heaven.

But because I place my trust and love in you, you will guide me in the way, everlasting. In the name of Jesus, Amen. Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible in a Year. Brought to you by Bibleinayear. Com.

I'm Cheryl McCleough, host of the Cold Case podcast, Zone 7. Join us every Wednesday to hear cases like the Long Island serial killer. Here, Carrie Lawson, daughter of the notorious serial killer, BTK, weigh in on the accused Long Island serial killers children.

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Hello.

I'm Bishop TV, Jake. I want to welcome you to my new podcast with pray. Com, called Sleep Psalms.

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Dear Galatia, in our last story, we learned about certain Jewish believers forcing Gentiles to be circumcised to be accepted into the family of God. Outraged by this, Paul and Barnabas held a council of all the leaders in Jerusalem. They debated whether Gentiles should be forced to follow the Jewish customs laid out in the law. The consensus was a resounding no. Now, we listen in on a letter Paul wrote to the Galatian Church. Paul wrote to the Galatians because they had men in their midst teaching them that all Christians should be circumcised to be saved. Paul's words would reflect the heart of Jesus as he defends the grace given by Jesus on the cross, inspired by the Book of Galatians.

Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of The Bible in a year. In our previous time together, we heard how the Council of Apostles and elders in Jerusalem, along with Paul and Barnabas, affirmed that Gentile believers were not bound to Jewish customs outlined in the law, but should focus on abstaining from things that would hinder their relationship with God in Christ, such as sexual immorality and food sacrifice to titles. Today, we'll hear Paul's words to the church in Galatia and his affirmation of their freedom in Christ, not because of obedience to the law and things like circumcision, but because of faith and the grace of God. Let's hear now the reading from Paul's letter to the Galatians.

To the church in Galatia, grace and peace to you from our Lord. I am amazed that you would turn from grace so quickly to adopt another Gospel, one of the bondage and works. Let me tell you this, even if you see an angel coming down from heaven preaching another gospel to you, it is false. I tell you this honestly, since I do not seek the approval of man, but of God. If I simply sought to please you, I would not be a servant of Christ. I need you to know this brothers, that the Gospel preached by me to you is not a Gospel forged and penned by man. It is from the heart of Christ himself. You know my past. You know that I was once a zealous pharisee, hell bent on the destruction of the church. I held the law tightly and honored it my whole life. But Jesus called me into grace. So I fled to Arabia and then to Damascus, then to Jerusalem. I wanted to know what was happening to my heart. I wanted to know Christ. Those who saw me change glorified Christ. It was not because I followed the law, but because I was changed by grace.

14 years had passed, and I was traveling to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus, who was a Gentile. We did not force him to be circumcised, yet false brothers tried to bind him into slavery to the old covenant law. We did not yield in submission to them. To do so would have been to deny the power of the Gospel. It started to become clear to me that I was to be an apostle of the Gentiles, just as Peter was called to the Jews. I want to tell you something about Peter so that you might learn from him. Peter would eat with the Gentiles and fellowship with them, but when his Jewish brothers were present, he would not speak to them or eat with them. This was two-faced and not honoring to Christ, so I opposed him to his face. Peter was supposed to be an example to us, and instead his conduct was not in step with the truth. I told him that if he, being a Jew, was able to live like a Gentile, then he should not force Gentiles to live like Jews. It was simple, and Peter received his correction. Let me make one thing clear.

We are Jews by birth, but it is not our tradition or race that makes us justified. Our faith in the work of Jesus on the cross makes us justified. It is not by works that we attain favor with God, for he is pleased with us in Jesus. We must die to the laws so we can live in Christ. I have been crucified with Christ. I am no longer living. It is Jesus who lives in me. The life we are to live should be by faith in Jesus. He has loved us and gave his life for us. If we gained our righteousness from our good deeds or following the law, then why would Christ have died for us? You foolish Galatians, who has cast a spell on you that you would turn from this glorious truth? Some of you saw with your own eyes, Jesus being crucified. Let me ask you this, did you receive the Holy Spirit by being perfect? No. Are you so dumb that you would now try and be perfect after receiving grace? Even Abraham was called righteous because of his faith, not his ability to follow rules. The truly righteous ones are the ones who look on to Jesus and have faith in him.

The righteous live by faith. Let me give you an example of what the law is for. Picture a contract. Every human contract can be annulled or ratified, but not with God. He keeps His promises despite our failures. So what good is the law? Well, the law was our tutor until Christ came. The law was an image of the perfect character of God. That character was fulfilled in Jesus. So we looked to follow him, not the law. That way, the Gospel is not only for Jews who follow the law, but for people of all nationalities who believe in Jesus and follow him. A child is no freer than a slave until he becomes a man, so the child must be looked after and protected. That is what the law did for us. It took care of us until we were ready to step into maturity. You are sons, daughters and heirs to all the gifts of Jesus. To know Jesus is to be free, so it concerns me that you are all trying to enslave yourselves to the law. Stop. I am afraid that all your effort and labor to be perfect is all in vain.

Brothers and sisters, I beg you, be like me. Let go. We were close once. You would have laid down your life for me, but now I feel like I am your enemy just because I preach to you the truth. I am perplexed and disturbed by you. Christ has set us free to walk in liberty. The ability to do what is good and noble comes from a place of freedom, not bondage. Do not be slaves to mindless devotion. If you decide that one must be circumcised to be saved, then you put yourself under the bondage of the whole law. You cannot pick and choose. You either follow the whole law or you follow the one who has made you righteous. It is not about being circumcised, it is about working out your faith in love. You are doing so well. Tell me who has whispered lies in your ears? Who has hindered you from speaking the truth? Know this, that a little bit of leaven can ruin the whole loaf of bread. The same as with people. Honestly, I wish that those who told you you needed to be circumcised would just cut off their privates altogether.

For you were called to freedom and they have set you back. Walk in freedom. Do not use your freedom as an opportunity to sin. Serve one another, for the entire law is truly fulfilled in these words. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you insist on devouring one another, take heed lest you all consume yourselves into oblivion. If you keep and step with the Spirit, you will have no need of laws, for he will guide you. For the desires of the Spirit will oppose the flesh. For the fruit of the flesh is obvious, fits of rage, rivalries, division, envy, drunkenness, selfish, sexual gratification, jealousy, idolatry, and all sorts of rage that break instead of build. But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If you have these things you have no need of law. Yet we all fail. We all fall in some way. So let us restore one another in gentleness. If anyone is caught in sin, let us help. Bear one another's burdens and take heed of your heart, for whoever thinks they have reached the heights of holiness are sure to be brought low.

Take care of one another. As you can see, I have written this letter with my own hand, for my eyesight is failing me and the words are large on the page. Understand these large words of mine, far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of Jesus Christ. From now on, let no one cause anybody else to stumble. May the grace of the Lord Jesus be upon you. Amen.

We begin today's reading with Paul's surprise at how quickly the believers in Galatia had lost the point of the Gospel, and were trying to add requirements to the grace of God in Christ and subject themselves again to bondage. There were Jews among them who insisted that believers needed to also follow the requirements of the law in order to be saved. And Paul is unequivocal in his words, Anything different than the gospel of God's grace through Christ and Christ alone is a false gospel. To make this point even stronger, Paul told them that even if an angel were to come down and give them a different gospel, that angel would be cursed. The reminder to the Galatians is ones that we should heed today as well. If you try to add to the gospel, whether you're subtracting it or adding to it, you end up with a lie, is subtraction or is addition or subtraction by addition. As Paul told these believers, he of all people would know that following the law does not save. To be saved means to know God and to be forgiven of sins and to know eternal life. So how is one saved?

Not by works of the law. Before his conversion, he was an example of piety and zealousness among Jewish believers. Paul knew the law backwards and forwards, inside and out. He followed it to the letter and even persecuted those who preached the gospel he is now advancing. Paul argued that if the law could have made him justified before God, it would have, but it did not because the law cannot save. His life was changed because he embraced Jesus Christ as his Lord and savior and God's grace in order to save him. He then gave the example of Titus, a Gentile, a Greek man who came to faith in Christ and joined Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journey. There were Jewish believers who tried to impose the burden of circumcision and Jewish law on Titus, but Paul defended him and refused to let him be subject to the bondage of legalism, which would strip away the power of the Gospel. Paul even confronted Peter, an apostle, and the leader of the Church. Paul had witnessed Peter eating with Gentiles when Jews were not around, but separating himself from them when Jews were present. By his hypocritable actions, Peter was creating a division between Jews and Gentiles, and this was inconsistent with the gospel.

Not only that, it was robbing the gospel of its power. Paul called on Peter to examine his own life and to experience the freedom in Christ, the freedom that we have because of what Christ has done, not because of what the law has done. If Peter could enjoy his freedom, how could he not allow others to experience that same freedom in Christ? It takes courage to stand up for the truth, especially when a leader may be more mature and yet is wrong at acting in a way that undermines the power of the gospel. Paul was willing to confront Peter for the sake of the advancement of Jesus Christ and the message of the gospel. Paul's example is one of encouragement for all of us to stand boldly and courageously for the truth of God's word and the power of God's message. As Paul continued his letter, he reminded the Galatians just what that truth is. Justification does not come from our human efforts, but by faith. The object of our faith is Jesus. It is our faith in Christ that makes us righteous, not our works. To bring this point home, Paul said that if the law made people righteous, then Jesus died for nothing.

Why then, if we have righteousness through faith in Christ and Christ alone, would these Galatians look to the law to make them righteous? Paul then pointed back to the first patriarch, to Abraham himself, to explain that righteousness by faith is nothing new. Righteousness has always come through faith, not works. Abraham believed God, and his faith was credited to him as righteous. The law was not given to make people righteous, but as a guardian, a guide, a teacher, until the time when Christ came to set all people free, not only Jews, but people of all nations. Listen to what Paul writes in Galatians 3:25-28 about what Jesus has done for us. These are powerful words. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus, you are all sons of God through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Don't miss how profound this statement is. We are the children of God. We are the sons and daughters of God, heirs to the promises of Christ.

We have been adopted into his eternal family, God's forever family. And it's all because of what Jesus has done for us. This adoption means that we are truly free and favored by God. Paul calls the Galatians to not walk away from this freedom, but rather to walk in it. It is a freedom to love and serve God fully. But Paul knew also he needed to caution against misunderstanding this freedom. Our freedom in Christ is not licensed to live in sin as we please. It is a freedom to live by God's grace and the power of His Spirit. He then explained what it looks like to live by God's Spirit, giving us the fruit of the Spirit. Love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control, all of this flows out of a life committed to follow Jesus Christ. The work of the Holy Spirit is to fuel us for godly living and to fill us that we might produce the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is Christ's likeness, and he reproduces himself in us by the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, Paul concludes by acknowledging that we will fail. And he impressed upon the Galatians that they must support and encourage one another and bear one another's burdens. The Christian life was never meant to be lived alone. It was true then, and it's true today. Dear God, we thank you for this powerful letter that Paul gave to the Galatians and to us. We are so grateful that we are not saved by our own works because we could only fail. But by your grace, through your cross, in the power of your resurrection, we are saved from our sins. You live in our lives and we can live forever with you all because of Christ. God, help us to walk in the fullness, in the freedom, in the favor that you have given us in Christ, and may we live to humbly serve you and point others to your son in Jesus' name, Amen. Thank you for listening once again to the Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas, Pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church. You can download the pray. Com app and make prayer and Bible study a priority in your life. If you are enjoying this podcast, please let others know.

Share it with someone else so that they can also join our journey with Jesus through the scriptures. My wife, Deb, and I would like to invite you and your family and friends to join us on two very special journeys with Jesus to the Bible Lands and to the wonders of Alaska. We are going to be taking a trip to Israel, as we've done many, many times before, April first through the 10th, 2024. That's April first through 10th, 2024. You'll see all the great places of the Bible, and the Bible will come alive for you as you walk where Jesus walked. Then in Alaska, we will see the wonders of God's creation and the power and the beauty and the Majesty of His presence. On a cruise, a Bible study cruise, July sixth through the 13th, I will be leading Bible study, we'll be seeing and adventuring all across Alaska with the great sights and sounds of that magnificent place. We would love to have you. We will worship together, study God's word together, and cruise together all across Alaska. So whether it is Israel or Alaska or both, we would love to have you. Just go to jackgraham.

Org or Prestonwood. Org for information. God bless you and thank you for joining us.

This episode is sponsored by Metashare, an innovative healthcare solution for Christians to save money without.

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Hello, I'm Dr. Tony Evans, and I'm excited to have you join me on this new podcast, Heroes in the Bible.

Come to me, boy. You and your God will crumble beneath my feet.

He beckened the giant and said.

I.

Come to you in the.

Name of the Lord of hosts and creator of the stars.

We all have giants that we face in our life. And when you understand that the greatness of God affects our ability to handle the giants of life, it will encourage, inspire, and challenge all of us to our faith in God and our growth in Jesus Christ.

Look past his height and appearance, Samuel, for.

Man.

Sees the outward appearance.

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Into the heart.

Listen to Heroes in the Bible with Dr. Tony Evans on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

I'm Cheryl McClellum, host of the Cold Case podcast, Zone 7. Join us every Wednesday to hear cases like the Long Island serial killer.

You show genuine interest, and you can't fake it, but these guys can see right through to your soul. You have to be prepared. If you don't know your stuff, they're going to just call.

You out. Listen to Zone 7 with Cheryl McClellum on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hello, I'm.

Bishop TD, Jake, and I want to welcome you to my new podcast with pray. Com called Sleep Psalms. He is going to lay you down in green pastures and restore your soul. Join me and let the Lord be your shepherd tonight. Listen to sleep songs with Bishop J. J. On the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

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